***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

Full review to follow after title publication date.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I do admit I saved this because I knew I would love it so much even though I was soooo excited when I received an arc. I am a huge Serena Bell fan as I always love the characters, world, humor, and relationships she writes where I am desperate for another story when I'm done. Hott Take was no exception.

We return to Rush Creek and the Hott will's latest victim, Shane, who must host a celebrity wedding at their wedding venue. After successfully finding a couple and planning the wedding, the wedding and due date for completion are just around the corner when the couple breaks up. Luckily, Shane crosses paths with Ivy, the mysterious woman Shane met in the previous book and a former actress who now runs community theatre that need a location to rent. Shane proposes his barn if Ivy accepts his proposal to get married.

As a reasonable woman, Ivy immediately turns him down...though was tempted to say yes.

But when Ivy's ex wants her back for a publicity stunt, she finds herself saying she's already engaged. Thus, Ivy who is done with Hollywood and the men like (she thinks) Shane is, and Shane who doesn't believe himself capable of love and fled from the small-town life before find themselves faking a relationship to the world.

I enjoyed how they became friends first (despite the attraction). Even though Ivy assumed Shane was always acting and thus lying (an amusing though frustrating bit), they become close and are clearly meant for each other if they can overcome the difficulties they have and that come up.

Their chemistry is immediate and there is some spicy (and fun) scenes.

Overall, the pacing, humor, and relationship development are all great. The heart (of all the characters) comes through to make a heartwarming, fun, and enjoyable romance.

I loved seeing familiar faces and returning to Rush Creek! I cannot wait for the next Hott brother!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Feat: fake engagement, pop culture references (acotar knockoff lol), dual POV, celebrity romance

5 stars
3 spice

This is the second book in the Hott Springs Eternal Series.
A small town romance based in Rush Creek. The characters in the town were a joy to read about.

It’s a film star, marriage of convenience romantic comedy.

Ivy and Shane have great chemistry and banter! I read this very quickly, in one sitting!

This story was a fake marriage to real lovers trope. With your player who never thought he would find the one.
I really enjoyed the cameos of all the Wilders, the spa girls dress shopping, and the fun cosplay videos.
Shane and Ivy seemed to have fun together and their fake marriage were sacrifices for others, which was a nice change and showed their character.

I'm glad brothers came together to help Shane move past his hurt and abandonment, along with some therapy.
I really liked Shane and Ivy together. The tension started pretty quickly. Don't love the self doubt communication issues, but with their repetitive pasts they were more realistic.

I want to visit Rush Creek and meet all these secondary characters that bring unique and quirky fun to the environment.

2/5 spice- several scenes but middle detail
I was a bit disappointed that the spice was mild. If you give me a sex toy bachelorette party I expect some use out of them.
The Hott books are more tame than the Wilder ones.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I absolutely devoured this book!! 💜

It’s a celebrity, fake marriage trope that will hook you as soon as you start reading! I liked both Shane and Ivy are so cute! After being read the will from his Grandfather, Shane is having trouble finding a celebrity couple willing to marry in Rush Creek and so he asks Ivy to marry him (He explains the situation about the will.) He also shares that he doesn’t think he can fall in love. She has her own reasons to say yes. They are a perfect match together but have some things to work through.

Thank you NetGalley!

Serena Bell is one of my favorite new authors! Hott Take has just cemented my love for Rush Creek and the Hott siblings. I recommend starting from the beginning with Make Me Wilder and working your way through the Wilder series before starting Hott Springs!

- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity
- Past Trauma
- Celeb Couple
- Spice (2/5 🌶️)

Shane Hott is an actor pulled from the fast lane to help his sister keep their family business & does everything he can to do just that,

Ivy is a retired actor turned acting teacher who loses her space for her students. In an off chance moment she’s given the chance to have a great space for them, if she helps Shane out. After refusing she changes her mind, due to a crazy ex waltzing into her life.

In a whorl wind of ups and downs will they find their happy ever after against the odds?

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: dual 1st person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: death of a loved one (off page before book, nondescriptive), death of a parent (recounted), parental abandonment, public humiliation, cheating (not MCs), mentions of sexual harassment and stalking
standalone: book 2 in the Hott Springs Eternal series (While I read book 2 first, I think these could be read as standalone without missing too much, though I think it would be beneficial to read them in order)
final thoughts: what a cute book!! I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this series to get to know the rest of the Hott siblings. I love the trope of people needing to leave their comfort zones by force of the will of a loved one who has passed. I liked seeing the relationship bloom between the MCs, seeing Ivy become more confident, and watching Shane fall hard. The chemistry was immediate for both of them, and I love that we didn’t have to wait long for them to say “why not” and give into it!
I loved the relationships with the Hott siblings and the female friendships that were gained in this book. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
.

read this book if you love

🎥 actor
🍿 celebrity
💏 fake dating
💞 mutual pining
💘 instalove vibes
💖 marriage of convenience
🌍 world building
💘 he falls fast and hard
🏡 small town
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters

I love Serena Bell's books and her latest Hott family series has been the perfect mix of hilarious and romantic 💕

The concept itself is brilliant, and watching each Hott sibling be toyed with by grumpy Grandad from Beyond the grave (with the help of his lawyer) gave me all the giggles. Seeing actors Shane and Ivy fake date their way to a legally binding marriage (with all the obstacles you can imagine) was such a fun story and I love the way the Author writes her HEAs 💕

Thank you to Author Serena Bell and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC! I can't wait for book 3!

I'm really enjoying this series. Is it quirky? Yes, but in such a good way.

The premise of each Hott brother having a stipulation in their grandfather's will which must be met in order for their sister to keep the family business. Shane Hott is given the task of planning a celebrity wedding in a set time period. This creates all kinds of insanity until he meets the new resident in town, Ivy and he's instantly smitten. Now he's not necessarily trying to find another couple to get married. He might just want for it to be us.

This was a cute, fun read with a little spice thrown in to keep me alert. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

4 stars. This book was another good, fun read. This series has been pretty fun to read and I have really enjoyed them. This one follows Ivy and Shane. In the will from his grandfather, Shane's requirement is to get married to a celebrity in order to bring more people in to help Hanna. This is a fake dating/ fake engagement. While I liked both Ivy and Shane I did want a little more from them and from the book in general. While it was good, I didn't like it as much as the first book and once again I find myself just wanting a bit more from the book, the characters, and from the romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Author Collective 20 and Serena Bell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 2 in this series. For his part of the will Shane needs to organise a celebrity wedding but with his celebrity couple on the rocks can be convince Ivy to step in and marry him instead? I liked how it was told from both points of view. Looking forward to the next books in this series.

Hott Take reads like an early 2000s romcom. It's fast paced, heartwarming, filled with witty banter, a ridiculous toxic ex, and a full cast of characters the reader can't help but connect with. Ivy and Shane's romance starts off as a way for them to each get something they need and turns into so much more. They've each filmed spicy scenes while working in Hollywood and they watch each other on screen...

Dual POV, Spicy, Celebrity Romance, Fake Engagement, Jealous MMC, Found Family, Small Town

I really like this author's books, but HOTT TAKE didn't quits do it for me for one reason alone: all chemistry, no connection.

Ivy and Shane gave chemistry off the charts, but these characters have no meaningful conversation or quality time spent together until 70% into the book and only after they have sex. Then they have a meaningful convo in a bar and one might of exchanging childhood stories much later.

I just didn't buy that Ivy and Shane were deeply in love by the end of the book. Horny first each other? Yes. In love? No.

If you want a light and fun romance, without you much drama, and with mad chemistry, you'll love HOTT TAKE. But I was looking for a lot more emotional connection and meaningful moments.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: past death of parent, emotionally distant parent
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.

This is another lovely love story from Hott Spring. Another brother has his orders from his grandfather's will. Shane a famous actor is just a step away from fulfilling his part when everything falls apart. So he fakes an engagement with a former actor Ivy. The story with very quick pace so everything happens very quickly. So I can say this is an Insta-love romance sweet and easy to read.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

When it comes to the main characters of this story, Shane and Ivy, they are fantastic. Ivy is kind and smart with an understated sense of humor. Shane has the persona of a rake, but that’s not who he is inside. Since this is a dual-POV story, we see the real Shane and how much he cares for his family and Ivy.

I love the concept of this book since I love a marriage of convenience story. Shane and Ivy have amazing chemistry, but they’re both actors. That means both are unsure of what is real and what isn’t when they see emotions in the other. When there is a tender touch, is it because there are cameras around? There is always doubt in the back of their minds. Shane needs their relationship to be believable because of his grandfather’s will or his sister may lose her land and her business. He’s running out of time to fulfill his task so everything is riding on this fake relationship and, ultimately, their wedding.

Here’s where I have a big problem with this story. Ivy’s reason for giving in and doing this for Shane is her theater group of teenagers. They lost their space and needed a new place to practice and perform. They will get the use of a refurbished barn that will be used for weddings for 6 months in exchange for her marrying Shane. Once the deal is made, we seldom see or hear about this group of kids. It’s rarely even brought up in conversation. It’s not that I expected or even wanted long scenes with these kids, but it could have been mentioned that she was at work with the kids or just getting home from the theater. It was like she was never there anymore when, as far as I can tell, it was her only job. Then there is an event that takes place in the epilogue that is unnecessary and actually made the story feel a bit ridiculous to me. It seemed like it was put in for word count that could have been used in rounding out Ivy’s connection to the kids and the theater.

The emotional walls Shane and Ivy had to overcome were well written and helped to cement their relationship when they shared their pasts. That helped to hold this story up and keep it a solid read. I just wish it would have been more fleshed out overall.

Once again, I really enjoy this books, brilliant to create a second series and , omg the crazy things their granddad are putting them thru , loving it, i cant wait for more of the brothers

This series just keeps getting better and better! I loved Shane and Ivy and how great they are for each other. They had me smiling and laughing but also so sad for them. I also loved all the cameos from other characters we love.

I loved this book, it’s such an enjoyable read. The Hott family patriarch died and his will specifies tasks for each grandchild in order for them to inherit the estate, including the wedding venue that Hanna, one of the grandchildren, runs.
Shane left Rush Springs for Hollywood and became a famous, and extremely good looking, star. His task is to find a celebrity couple, who are actually in love, to get married at the wedding ranch. Shane thinks he’s done it, but the couple splits after a tabloid story.
Now, to save the ranch, Shane has to find another celebrity to marry him and convince his grandfather’s estate attorney that they’re truly in love.
Ivy Scofield recently starred in a TV series, but she came to Rush Springs after her boyfriend dumped her and got her character written off the show. She teaches theatre to kids, but needs a place to hold rehearsals and performances.
Shane convinces her to get fake married to him in exchange for use of a barn for her theatre program. They start dating and spending time together, and soon Shane is actually falling for Ivy but doesn’t know how she feels. They have some spicy scenes while they explore their relationship.
This is a well done fake/maybe not so fake dating story and I couldn’t get enough. I highly recommend this book, 5 stars. 9

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.